*Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series examining whether Cowboys players are trending up, down or holding steady at the end of the 2018 season. Read Part 2 here. Read Part 3 here.

Now that another season has come and gone, enthralling and infuriating, it's time to look back.

A Cowboys team that had no business making the playoffs after a 3-5 start made the required course corrections -- goodbye offensive line coach Paul Alexander, hello wide receiver Amari Cooper -- to finish strong. Dallas swept the world champion Philadelphia Eagles, won the division and won a wild-card game before falling to the LA Rams.

This should come as no surprise since the divisional round has been the ceiling for the franchise since it won the Super Bowl 23 years ago.

What's required for the Cowboys to take the next step? What changes are necessary?

Let's tackle those another day. For the moment, let's look at who's trending up, down and holding steady at the conclusion of this season.

Trending up (15)

Tom Fox/Staff Photographer

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) carries the ball after quarterback Dak Prescott (4) flipped it to him during the fourth quarter of their NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Saturday, January 12, 2019. Tye Cowboys lost 30-22. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)

Amari Cooper, WR: Impact was dramatic. Cowboys finished regular season 7-2 after his arrival. He placed among the league's top 10 receivers in that span with 53 receptions for 725 yards and six touchdowns. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice, and 74 percent of his receptions went for a first down.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB: Won his second NFL rushing title with 1,434 yards and an average of 4.7 yards a carry. He's only the fifth back in the last 40 years to win two rushing titles in his first three seasons. Elliott also led the team with 77 receptions for 567 yards.

Leighton Vander Esch, LB: The first-round pick shattered the franchise rookie record with 176 tackles, which also ranks fourth in club history dating to 1977 when the coach's film was first used for the stat. He became the first Cowboys rookie defender to receive a Pro Bowl invitation since Everson Walls in 1981.

Others

Dak Prescott, QB: Came on after an erratic start. Prescott had a quarterback rating of 105.9 in the final six weeks of the season. He led the team to four victories when tied or trailing in the fourth quarter or overtime, giving him nine in his career. He threw for 22 touchdowns, ran for six others and had only eight interceptions.

DeMarcus Lawrence, DE: Lawrence didn't collect as many sacks as the previous season, but his 10.5 put him among the league leaders and gave him double-digits in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. He led the Cowboys in quarterback pressures (39) and tackles for loss (12), and tied for the lead in forced fumbles (two).

Byron Jones, CB: After spending the majority of his first three seasons at safety, his switch to corner paid immediate dividends. Jones developed into one the league's best corners. While he didn't have an interception, he led the team in passes defensed with 15.

Michael Gallup, WR: He struggled early. But 15 of his 33 receptions for the season came in the final five games. He caught six passes for 119 yards in the playoff loss to the LA Rams to lead all receivers.

Antwaun Woods, DT: Landed on the Cowboys roster as a training camp body and worked his way up from fourth string to start 15 games at defensive tackle. Relentless motor, disciplined and strong against the run.

Cowboys evaluations: Zack Martin just had his most challenging season in Dallas. Who else is holding steady?

Jaylon Smith, LB: He finished second on the team in tackles with 150, was second in tackles for loss with five, tied for the lead in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries with two apiece and led all linebackers in sacks with four and quarterback pressures with 13.

Joe Looney, C: He's no Travis Frederick, who missed the season with Guillain-Barre syndrome, but he was a more than capable replacement. The veteran interior lineman got better as the season went along.

Blake Jarwin, TE: Club officials pointed to him as a receiving threat coming out of camp. That rarely materialized early, but Jarwin caught 20 of his 27 passes for the season in the final four games for 228 yards and three touchdowns.

Chidobe Awuzie, CB: Opponents picked on him while avoiding Jones. He was physical, finishing third on the team in tackles with 84 and second in passes defensed with 13.

Xavier Woods, S: The hard-hitting Woods finished sixth on the team in tackles with 67, had two interceptions and was third in passes defensed with nine in 14 starts.

Randy Gregory, DE: A struggle with substance abuse and mental health kept Gregory off the field for all but two of 32 games the previous two seasons. But he worked the program, worked in practice and made his way back. Gregory was second to Lawrence in sacks with six and quarterback pressures with 28.

Dalton Schultz, TE: An afterthought to start the season, he became a starter in Week 12 after Geoff Swaim's injury and played well.